Valve-pliers.



71 5 3 PATENTED JAN. 6, .1903.

J.'E.BARNEY.

VALVE. PLIERS. 3 APPLICATION rum) MAR. 19, 1902.

N0 MODEL.

UNITED STATES PATE T @rrrcn.

JAMES E. BARNEY, OF BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS.

VALVE-PLIERS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent N o. 717,526, dated January6, 1903.

Application filed March 19, 1902. Serial No. 98,891. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, JAMES E. BARNEY, a citizen of the United States,residing at Boston, in the county of Suffolk and State of Massaehusetts,have invented an Improvement in Valve-Pliers, of which the followingdescription, in connection with the accompanying drawings, is aspecification, like letters on the drawings representing like parts.

This invention has for its object the production of novel pliers for usein restuffing or packing valves, whereby the packing-nut can beaccurately and squarely positioned and held in place in readiness to bescrewed upon the threaded portion of the bonnet of the valve-i e. thepart of the casin g through which the valve-stem passes. It is a simplematter to repaek and handle the nut when the valve is cold and toposition it with the fingers, so that it will turn smoothly onto thethread of the bonnet without crossing or otherwiseinjuring thethreads.Veryfrequently, however, the packing in the nut has to be removed andthe nut repacked when the valve is in use, and if the valve is used forcontrolling steam or hot water it has always been a very difficultmatter, and sometimes almost impossible, to move the nut up to andproperly position it on the end of the bonnet and retain it in positionto properly engage the thread on the bonnet when the nut, by means of awrench, is turned thereupon. It will be manifest that when thisoperation has to be performed against the pressure of a jet of steam orhot water the difficulty and danger is very great, and often the threadon the bonnet or nut, either or both, will be crossed or very seriouslyinjured. My present invention makes it possible to effect thepositioning of the nut 0n the end of the bonnet in readiness to bescrewed thereupon with little or no danger to the workman and greatlyfacilitates the operation, while it absolutely prevents crossing orjamming of the threads. The various novel features of my invention willbe hereinafter described, and particularly pointed out in the followingclaims.

Figure 1 shows in elevation and partly in section a valve with my novelpliers in use, illustrating the manner of operating the same to placethe packing-nut in proper position to ers comprise two levers A B,pivoted together at O, the acting ends or jaws A B being longitudinallyrecessed or forked, as at a b to present parallel longitudinal sides andembrace the stem D of the valve, as in Fig. 1, and laterally positionthe pliers when in use, the inner end of the recess positioning thepliers longitudinally.

The valve-case D, of any well-known construction, the bonnet D throughwhich the Valve-stem passes and which is externally threaded, as at dand the packing or stuffing nut D recessed to receive suitable packingP, Fig. 1, around the valve-stem, are all of usual construction, the nutwhen screwed down upon the bonnet compressing the packing about the stemand upon the end of the bonnet and maintaining it ,steam or water tightthereat. The nut itself is loose on the valve-stem, the latter having asuitable handwheel D In order to screw the nut onto the bonnet, it mustbe placed square with relation to the end of said bonnet before beingturned onto the thread or the latter will be crossed or otherwiseinjured, and when the parts are cool this setting or positioning of thepacking-nut can be readily performed with the fingers; When the valve isin use and the parts are hot and either steam orwater pressure is on orwhen the valve is so located that the nut is hard to. get at, repackingbecomes a matter of great difficulty, for then the packingnut cannot behandled and the jet of steam or other fluid from the end of the bonnetacts against the nut to prevent it from being moved up to and positionedsquarely on the end of the bonnet in readiness to be screwed thereupon.In order to overcome these obstacles and properly set or position thenut after repacking, I have produced the pliers herein shown, andpreferably the outer face of each jaw is concaved in the direction ofits length, as at a b, the curvature corresponding substantially withthat of the convex top of the packing-nut.

Referring toFig. 1 and supposing that the nut D has been repacked and isto be screwed down upon the bonnet, the jaws of the pliers Too areinserted between the top of the nut and the under side of the hand-WheelD the forked ends of the jaws embracing the valvestem and being therebypositioned. The concave face, as b, of the jaw adjacent the nut engagesthe convex top of the latter and on opposite sides of the valve-stem, sothat the nut cannot rock or tip in that direction, and the concavity ofthe jaw-face prevents tilting of the nut in the direction of the lengthof the jaw. The other jaw, as A, bears against the under side of thehand-wheel, and by bringing the lever-arms A 13 toward each other thejaws A B are separated, the nut D being moved squarely and powerfully upto the end of the bonnet, and it can be held there as long as desireduntil, by means of a wrench, the nut can be turned down upon the threadd Manifestly if the nut is held squarely in position when turned tocatch the thread on the bonnet there is no chance for crossing orjamming the threads. Even if steam or hot water is escaping or the nutis hard to get at the operator can with comparative ease and with noharm to himself manipulate the nut and get it started fair and true onthe bonnet-thread, after which it is a simple matter to screw it on asfar as may be necessary.

By concaving both jaws the tool is made reversible, either jaw thenpresenting a seat for the top of the packing-nut, while the forking ofthe jaws prevents the pliers from moving sidewise or longitudinally whenstraddling the Valve-stem, as described, and so long as the pliers areheld when in use with the bottom of the recess or fork against the stemthe nut will be held true and square with relation to the end of thebonnet.

Having described my invention, what I claim, and desire to secure byLetters Patent, 1s

1. Pliers of the class described, having pivot-ally-con nected jawslongitudinally recessed 0r forked to present parallel longitudinalsides, to receive and embrace the stem of a valve, the inner end of therecess cooperating with the stem to longitudinally position the plierswhen in use, the outer face of each jaw being longitudinally concaved tocorrespond to the convex top of a packing-nut and form a seat therefor,and lever-arms connected with and to operate the jaws.

2. Pliers for positioning and holding the packing-nut of a valvesquarely upon the bonnet to be screwed thereupon, comprising separable,longitudinally-forked jaws to embrace and be positioned by thevalve-stem between the nut and hand-wheel, each jaw having its outerface shaped to form a seat for the nut at each side of the valve-stemand prevent tilting of the nut, and means to separate the jaws, tothereby move the nut to and squarely against the end of the bonnet.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification in thepresence of two subscribing witnesses.

JAMES E. BARNEY.

Witnesses:

JOHN C. EDWARDS, ELIZABETH R. MORRISON.

